Portal of Time
by MarLuna
Summary: What happens if Ethan isn't a Kronos and someone else has taken his place? Where is he in the story then? And why does he only know Kori and Irving until he meets the one who took his place? This is the story of Lea Kronos and how she got the Hollow Pen!
1. A New Day

**A/N: This story, as you can tell after reading it, follows the plot line. But with a twist! Ethan's not there! **

**So... That means.... GENDER BENDING! ...Or is it?**

**^-^**

**Originally, this story was supposed to be during the story where an OC appears out of nowhere and sees Ethan in action but I thought better of it and made this one!**

**

* * *

**

**Time Hollow**

**_Changes… Changes…_**

**_Ethan or Kori?_**

* * *

"Ow!" A small girl with long black hair and blue eyes hissed, looking at her scratched up hands. _Wow, Sox scratched me up pretty good!_

Sox simply meowed.

"Listen Sox… You've got to get a handle on your strength. I was just trying to get you cleaned up, you know."

Sox turned his head so that he could lay it on the bed. "…Mrowr…"

_No use talking to the cat, I suppose._

"Mrowr…" Sox whined.

_Uh-oh, he's ticked off again. Better leave him alone for now._

The small girl walked over to her bookshelf and grabbed the watch magazine lying atop it, shifting through the pages to look at the one she most desired.

These are catalogs of the watches I collect. I'm thinking of getting a part-time job so I can afford the one I really, really want. But tomorrow's my birthday, so I might get it from my folks instead. I'll try to casually float the idea past Mom later on.

She set the magazine on top of her desk and kept on thinking about things.

I just got back from school. It's still light outside… Probably because I came straight home instead of stopping at Chronos. Chronos is a café I visit pretty regularly. I stop by after school with Olivia… Emily… And Ashley. We all grew up together.

As she thought of her friends, a picture of each individual popped up in her mind.

"Leaaa! Tiiiim! Time for dinner!" Pamela, her mother, yelled from downstairs.

_It's Mom. Time to eat already?_

"Coming!" Lea yelled back and went downstairs to where her parents were waiting.

* * *

_**Prologue: A New Day**_

* * *

While Lea left the room, Sox went outside where a stranger walked in front on the house.

* * *

_Whoa—It's even weaker than usual today._

_Dad's silently digging into his dinner, as always._ "Pass me that soy sauce next to you there, would you, Lea?"

_So this is where the soy sauce went._ "Here's the soy sauce."

"Thanks."

"What is it?" Pamela asked when Lea looked at her longer than needed.

"Could you pass me the salt, Mom?"

"Here you go." That's when Pamela noticed the scratch marks on her daughter's hand, "Hey! Where did you get that cut?"

Timothy freaked out, "A cut?! Did someone attack you?"

"Huh? Oh… you mean this? It was Sox—Sox scratched me."

Timothy was immeadiatly relieved, "Oh, is that all? Don't scare us like that!"

_Hey, who's scaring who?_

"I was about to give Sox a bath when he went ballistic…"

Pamela giggles a bit, "Hahaha! That's Sox! He absolutely hates water, that cat."

"I'm through with bath duty!"

"Speaking of Sox… Derek hasn't been around lately."

That's right—Sox used to be Uncle Derek's cat.

"I'd say that means he doesn't need our money." Timothy assumed.

"Come on now, Tim…"

"Anyway, thanks for dinner." Timothy said before retiring from the table.

"Yeah, thanks, Mom." Lea said before following her dad's example and retiring to her room also.

* * *

As the stranger walked past Sox, the cat hissed at him before dashing back in from the window he exited—Lea's room window.

* * *

_The window's open again._ She thought before she closed the window, "Were you outside again, Sox? You'll get filthy out there!"

"Mrowr…"

"Don't tell me you're still angry."

"Mrowr!!" Sox meowed angrily as if to say yes.

"Sorry, sorry. I won't be giving you any baths, okay?"

"…Mrowr." Sox meowed happily as if he actually understood what Lea said.

"Ethan! Tea's ready!" Pamela yelled again from downstairs.

"Coming!"

Going down the stairs, she started hearing an argument.

"Come on, I only need a little! Just a tiny bit…!"

_Huh? Sounds like Uncle Derek. Speak of the devil…_

"I can't lend you anything. Try to understand, Derek." Timothy said, feeling a bit guilty.

"Well, I won't leave 'til you do! Whaddya think about that, huh?"

"We just don't have enough to spare. You can't rely on us like you do, Derek."

Lea thought she should cut in before things get ugly, "Oh…hi there, Uncle Derek."

"Hey, Lea—talk some sense into your stingy old man, would ya?"

"That's enough, Derek!" Timothy yelled, enraged, "Go on—get out of here!"

"Fine! I'm not gonna stand here and take your abuse! What's a little money between family, anyway? …Ahh, don't know why I should be surprised. You've always been down on me…"

"Well? Stop beating around the bush. If you got something to say, then come out and say it!"

"…You'll regret this…"

"…"

"…Better watch your back, bro."

_And Mom's just sitting there drinking her tea… amazing! _Lea noticed from her spot in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I'm outta here!"

"But, Derek—I have tea!"

"Forget the tea!" Timothy yelled.

"I'll just head home like a good little boy, all right? But I'll be back!" Derek left and slammed the door behind him with a huff.

"…When is he going to act his age?" Timothy asked the air around him, knowing there won't be an answer.

_Looks like they have it pretty rough…_

"Oh yeah—help yourself to an apple, Lea."

"Er, okay."

Lea grabbed an apple from the small basket on the table and took a bite just when her Dad spoke to her.

"So Listen… You're turning 17 tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"That's right—17 years old!"

"What's with the sudden birthday talk, you two?" _Seriously, where did that come from? _"Oh, I get it! You probably don't know what to get me."

"What… to get you?" Pamela asked.

"Actually, I—"

"You want another watch, right?"

Lea was immeadiatly surprised. _Wow, she can see right through me…! _"Aw, come on! Not really! Actually, what I'd really like—"

"Say, Pam, when are we going to talk to our daughter about… that?" Timothy cut in as if Lea actually never spoke in the first place.

"It might be a little expensive… But heck—it's my birthday! And college is just around the corner!" Lea tried again but this time it was Pamela who responded to Timothy's earlier question.

"Anytime is fine by me. I'll just duck out."

"It would have some really snazzy features—appropriate for it's cost, of course…" Lea said, trying to get one tiny bit of their attention but they still acted as if she never said anything.

"No, you should be there, too. How about tomorrow? Better sooner than later."

Lea was still lost in what her parents were saying, "Whoa, whoa, everyone—time out! Aren't we talking about… my present?"

"Lea…"

"…We'll talk about it tomorrow, Lea. On the day you turn 17."

"Talk about what?"

"Come home right away tomorrow, okay? No side trips."

"Sure thing… but what about my present?

"Well… goodnight." Timothy said, not hearing Lea's words.

"…Man! He didn't hear a word I said." Lea said, exasperated.

"You two are a lot alike." Pamela noticed.

"Huh?!" _I sure hope not! Better be careful…_

"Dad's got a lot on his mind."

"See, that's just the thing. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff, too."

"Lea…"

"But no one ever listens to what I have to say!"

"Oh, Lea, that's not true."

"Like you, Mom—I can tell you 'til I'm blue in the face, but you never season your meals properly!"

"Why, I…!"

"Forget it! I'm going to bed!"

Lea stormed off, leaving behind her worried mother.

"Lea!"

Lea ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door behind her.

"...Mrowr." Sox meowed and got off from the bed so that Lea could sleep.

Lea sighed and turned off the lights, "G'night Sox…"

"Phew…" _I think I crossed the line with mom tonigh_

_What was Dad talking about, anyway?_

"_...We'll talk about it tomorrow, Lea. On the day you turn 17."_

_Well, whatever. I'll find out tomorrow. And when Dad's had his say, I'll apologize to Mom…_

……_Zzz……_

* * *

Lea gasped, tugging at the blankets and turned in her sleep, hair flying everywhere, before she spoke in her sleep, "Where are you? Mommy where? Dad...?"

In her dream, where a fire seemed to be all around her, Pamela screamed in agony as a piece of wood on fire fell from the ceiling and landed somewhere close to them while Timothy yelled her name, thinking she was hurt badly. But before he could do anything else, time froze around him and everything turned gray. He was the only thing that could move and that still had color.

"What the—?"

He saw that his wife was still frozen, "But who—who could've done this?!" An idea hit him, "Ethan! Was it you?" He asked, looking around for said person.

_Mom…! Dad…!_ Lea's thoughts immeadiatly yelled for them while a portal appeared next to Timothy who looked around to see who could've made the portal appear but everything else was frozen.

"That appears to be the only way out." Timothy said before he grabbed Pamela in his arms and walked through the portal.

_Mom! Dad! Wait for me! Don't leave me here! Come back! Mom, Dad, take me with you! No! Come back! Don't leave meeeeeeee!!_

Lea's voice faded as another piece of fire on the burning ceiling fell to the place where she was watching.

"No…!" She gasped a couple of times before opening her eyes slowly and saw one black twitchy ear.

"Mrowr. Mrowrrr..." When Lea understood that it was only Sox, she rolled over to face the ceiling but then sat up, "W-was it…"

* * *

"…What an awful dream… but who's this Ethan character?" Lea thought to herself, placing a hand to her forehead, "Yikes, I'm dripping with sweat… I need a towel." But that's when she noticed that the scratch mark on her hand was gone.

_Huh? My arm… What happened to that scratch?_

She looked at her bed where Sox was sleeping. _Did my blanket always look like this?_

That's when she noticed that the matching black and white carpet was missing. _Wait—where's the carpet!? _

…_!!_

"This is… a different room!?"

"Mrowr!" Sox meowed, rubbing onto Lea's leg so that he could get her attention.

"What is it, Sox?" Looking at Sox's collar, she saw that it had something attached to it. "A pen? Where'd you find this?"

That's when Lea noticed the portal in the middle of her room.

"…" _Could that be… the same hole I saw in my dreams…? Wh-what should I do? I guess it can't hurt to take a look… Hey—what if I tap it with this pen?_

That's what she ended up doing, touching the purple hole with the odd matching purple pen in her hand.

"Whoa!" Lea yelled when pictures flew into her mind. "What was that!?" _I guess it's what you'd call a flashback, huh._

"What's going on, Lea?" A voice asked and Lea couldn't recognize it.

"Who's out there?" She asked while opening the door only to see her uncle standing there, confused.

"Whaddya mean, who? There's no one else here but me!"

"Uncle Derek…?"

"_I'd say that means he doesn't need our money." _Lea remembered her Dad saying at dinner.

"…_Beter watch your back, bro." _Lea remembered Uncle Derek saying before leaving yesterday.

"Oh hi there… Come to see Mom and Dad again today?" Lea asked and Derek got even more confused.

"Huh? You still half-awake, kiddo? And what's with all the sweat?"

"?" _Was Uncle Derek always this buddy-buddy with me…?_

"Breakfast is ready, but go shower first or you'll catch a cold."

"Uncle Derek!"

"Hey, what's the big idea? You're getting sweat everywhere!"

"What happened to Mom and Dad?"

"What-a-at?"

"You know… Mom and Dad."

"Now I KNOW you're still sleeping. You think I'd go through all this if I knew where they were? After all, it's been 12 years since they went up and disappeared."

"What? Oh… er…really?" _So is Uncle Derek looking after me, then? Yeah—he was a freelance writer, wasn't he…? At least, I think he was. I can't remember exactly. _

"C'mon, snap out of it! You can't spend your whole day dreaming! Or am I gonna have to slap you awake?"

"I remember now—back when I was a kid, Mom and Dad…"

"Aw, man… Fine. I'm starting breakfast without you." Derek said, getting annoyed with Lea and leaving.

_…Yeah, that's it. Mom and Dad disappeared 12 years ago. Uncle Derek lives in this house and looks after me. …So was THAT a dream? Living with Mom and Dad—was it real? Or was I dreaming?_

* * *

**Flashback one: The fire in his dream.**

**Flashback two: Uncle Derek reading a newspaper at the dining room table.**

**Flashback three: The garbage at school.**

**Flashback two, verified and confirmed.**

* * *

"Mrowr." _I see Sox hasn't changed a bit._

Lea soon exited her room and went downstairs after checking for more changes in her room, she found Uncle Derek reading the newspaper just like in the flashback.

_Mmm… I smell coffee. We were tea-drinkers. But I do remember this smell…_

"Hey. You awake now?"

"Uh-huh…" _He's like a completely different person…_

"Okay, I'm going out. You're on dish duty, all right?"

"S-sure thing."

Derek then left Lea to eat her toast alone, which made her think about things some more.

_Toast and coffee. I guess this is what we usually have for breakfast. But… Which part's the dream? And which part's real?_

_That's right—I've got school. Better get dressed and head out._

And with that thought, she got dressed into her usual school uniform and went to school where she couldn't keep her mind on her work. When school was done for the day, Lea stayed by the school's doors to wait for her friends.

_Who are those two over there? Sure are noisy…_

"Are you serious? Lemme take a look!" The first said.

"I'm totally serious! I found it when I went to take the garbage out. Isn't it awesome?" The second answered.

"Whoa! Dude! Lemme have half!"

"You nuts? What're going to do with half a clock?"

"Man, that's a real find!"

_A clock, eh? I wanted a clock of my own yesterday. Now I couldn't care less…_

"Leaaa!" A voice yelled and Lea had no idea whom it was.

"Who, me?"

That's when she noticed two guys walking in her direction. The first had short brown hair and glasses while the other had messy dark blond hair.

"Duh! Who else?" The one with messy dark blond hair said but then he nudged the one with the glasses, "C'mon Ben—what do you say?"

"H-happy birthday, Lea…"

"Uh…"

"I know Vin is Ashley's big brother, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Ben. Ben Fourier…"

"Ben, eh? Well, thanks for the birthday wishes." Lea was ready to go home if Vin didn't stop her.

"Wait! Don't go anywhere! What about your present?"

"Huh?"

"C'mon, Ben, where is it?"

"Oh, right. This is for you, Lea…" The shy boy handed over what looked like an antique clock.

"It would mean a lot to him if you just accepted it, you know!" Vin teased and Lea couldn't help but smile.

"Vin!"

"Er, thanks."

"Ben heard you liked clocks and picked it out special. And if you don't like it, just throw it out or something." Vin said, still teasing and Ben flushed.

"Wha-a-at? V-IN…"

The two boys left Lea with a wave from Ben and a wink from Vin.

"Hey, Lea!" Ashley's voice yelled a couple of seconds after the two left. "What are those two doing? Laughing amongst themselves…"

"They gave me a birthday present."

"Who did? Vin? Ew! Throw it away!"

"Why would I? He went to all that trouble…" _A clock for my birthday… Just what I was asking Mom for yesterday._

"What's up, Lea? You're so quiet. Choked up over that present, eh?" Olivia asked slyly and Lea immeadiatly changed the subject.

"Hey, do you know anything about my parents? Anything at all."

"Whoa, way to change the subject, Lea." Ashley said.

"Aha—you really don't want to talk about that present, do you?" Olivia teased.

"Yeah! We can read you like a book!" Emily added in.

"No, no—that's not it…" _Although the whole present thing WAS sort of embarrassing… But I reall would like to see if anyone knows about Mom and Dad._

"Your… parents, eh?" Ashley said, thinking over what she knows, "I remember how your mom would buy us candy as kids. But that's about it."

"Didn't you say they went missing when you were little? That's all we ever heard about them."

"I'm not quite sure how to put this, but… I head they went missing about 12 years ago."

"Yeah, I figured as much…" _Just like Uncle Derek… They all say my parents disappeared 12 years ago._

"What is it, Ethan? Are you feeling all right?" Ashley asked.

"Hey, if you've got a cold, go home so we don't catch it."

"…Hahaha… Sorry, guys. I'll see you later." _I'll think this over when I get home._

Lea left her friends and went to her house.

_This is my house. It's like it totally changed overnight… or maybe it's just my imagination. Oh yeah—I think I'll put that clock in my room._

She opened the door and entered, "I'm home…" _Looks like Uncle Derek isn't home yet._

Seeing that no one was there, she just went to her room and placed the clock on her dresser.

_That clock looks pretty old. It might even be an antique._ "Clocks… more clocks."_ Wasn't Dad supposed to tell something today, on my birthday?_

_"…We'll talk about it tomorrow, Ethan. On the day you turn 17."_

"Mrowr…" Sox meowed softly to get Lea's attention.

"Hey, Sox… Huh?" _Huh? There's a piece of paper on his collar. Maybe it was attached to that pen this morning._

Lea bent down and untied the note, reading it soon afterwards. **"The Hollow Pen has been handed down through many generations of the Kairos family." **_Hollow Pen? Like, that pen from this morning? _**"The Pen will glow when certain conditions have been fulfilled. Then you can open a Hole in time. You'll learn the rest at the school's garbage dump. Be there 7 hours before on May 5. **_7 hours before what that— …I'm so lost._

She placed the letter on her desk, sat down and read it again, trying to figure anything out but nothing came to mind. She tried to make sense of anything so she had an idea to go to the garbage dumb at this moment.

She went down stairs to see Derek sitting at the table.

"Uncle Derek—you're back!"

"Yeah, so? What's it to you?"

"N-nothing…" _Uncle Derek sure isn't the easiest guy to talk to…_

"Were you headed off to, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"You were nearly out of the door. Just what time do you think it is, pal?"

"Er…well… I just wanted to get some fresh air…I've been studying all this time."

"…"

_It's not like I can tell him I'm headed to school to look into that letter, after all._

"…Make sure you lock up. I'm turning in." And then Uncle Derek left to his room.

"O-of course."_ Phew…_

Lea left the house and made her way to the school when she arrived at the garbage dump, there wasn't any garbage there, only an unused incinerator.

"Well, here I am…" _Hey, wait a minute…! I saw this place once, just for a second… in that flashback… This is the place they mentioned in that letter… So something must have happened here "7 hours before". Now it's 10 which means around 3 today._

* * *

Flashback three: Verified and confirmed.

* * *

"Whoa! The Pen's glowing! So that means…" Lea grabbed the glowing purple pen and held it up a bit confused, "Now I—I use this to open… a Hole…?" _Wha-a-at? How'm I supposed to do that?? Just… draw a circle here or something?_

A leaf started to fall from a tree but then it froze and so did everything else. Everything turned grey in colour.

"Draw a circle with the pen…" She made a circle in mid air and beyond the portal there was garbage with a red box atop it. "Whoa! What's that?"

"Th-this Hole sure is deep…!" She plunged her hand through and grabbed the box, a note was attached to it. "Another letter… let's see what this one says.

"**Beyong the Hole is a moment from the past. The Holes you open must be closed, or time won't start up again. The holder of the Pen must have the Time to use it. Once you've gotten the hang of the Pen, come and rescue us. P.S. This box is for you, in memory of the first Hole you ever opened. —Dad"**

"…Dad!?" Looking through the box, she found the watch she had wanted for her birthday. "Huh? Th-this watch… It's the one I wanted yesterday… So THAT yesterday wasn't a dream after all! Oops! I have to close up that Hole or else!"

Lea tapped the hole with her pen and it closed up. "Whoa…! What the…?" Flashbacks flew to her mind almost instantly after she closed the hole. The leaf in midair continued to float down as if Lea never stopped time.

"Wh-what the heck was that…?" _It got dark there for just a second… _

…

…_Achoo! I'm going to catch a cold if I stay here. I should head home and try to process all this._

Lea hurried home and Sox meowed at her for attention.

"Sox… Do you remember when I tried making you take a bath? You gave me a nasty scratch. Even Mom was fed up with you."

"Mrowr…"

"I remember. After all… it was only yesterday.

"Mrowwwwwwwr…"

"But what happened to the part that comes after yesterday? It's got to be somewhere… The rest of it all… a world with me, Mom, and Dad in it, living together…! It WASN'T a dream! I know it wasn't!" Lea took the pen and looked at it as if it was the answer to all of her problems. "I've got to rescue Mom and Dad—with this crazy pen of theirs…!"

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N: There's a reason as to why the Hollow Pen is purple. Can you guess why? If you guess corectly, you win a BRAND NEW CAR!**

**Pfft. I don't have a brand new car you fool. You'll win a... BASKET OF HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE COOKIES!!!!**

**Tempting isn't it?**

**You know you want them.... ^-^**


	2. The Day That Vanished

_**Chapter One: The Day That Vanished **_

* * *

_Back to usual I see…_ Lea thought as she found herself back in front of school, _but why would Mom and Dad be the only ones to disappear? But if I use the Hollow Pen… Wait a second—when exactly does the Pen start glowing, anyway? Can I not use it until it glows or what?_

"Leaaa!" Vin yelled when he spotted her thinking alone while staring blankly at the school walls. She snapped herself out of it and watched as he appeared, noticing that Ben was also with him.

"Hey Lea! How did you like the present?"

She blinked but then remembered the antique clock they gave her, "Oh right! I put it in my room and everything."

"You mean it!"

"I'm glad you like it." Ben said, face a bit flushed.

"Did you hear that, Ben? And you're the one who picked it out!" Vin teased, nudging the poor embarrassed boy.

"You were with me too!"

Ashley soon arrived and Vin placed an arm on Ben's shoulder to support him. "Hey you two! What are you up too?"

"None of your business."

"We're talking about my present." Lea cut in, oblivious to the fact that Vin wanted to keep it a secret.

"Lea! Shh!" Vin said and placed a finger to her lips to shush her. Lea was a bit surprised at the close contact and stiffened.

"Oh that? Can't believe you two use all your money to buy you a present for Lea" Ashley replied, looking disgusted at the fact that his brother might like one of her best friends.

"Hey, it's our money—we can spend it on what we want." Vin responded coolly, not even fazed.

"Why don't you spend your money on a new cellphone, since you lost yours yesterday, Mr. Clumsy?"

"Huh? You mean you haven't found your phone yet?" Ben asked, surprised at the news.

"Yeah, not yet. Not that you need to keep bugging me about it, Sis." Vin answered as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Listen, Lea, if you see his phone, pick it up, will ya?" Ashley asked, "It's black and it has this giant music note hanging off of it."

"Hey, it's not a music note. It's a bat, obviously."

"It's a music note!"

"It's a bat. B-A-T bat."

"Vin…?" Ben asked nervously while Lea looked at them nervously.

S_ave the sibling squabbles for home, guys… _But flashbacks rushed to her mind out of nowhere and she froze.

"Flashback so suddenly? What's going on?" Looking around, she saw that she was alone in front of the school. "Hey! Ashley! Where'd you go? Vin? Ben…? Guys...?"

"Leaaa!"

Emily rushed up to her, looking dishevelled and worried.

"Emily…?"

"Why are you just standing around? We have to look for Vin, remember?"

"What! But he was just here a second ago…"

"What are you saying? He's nowhere to be found! He's been gone for two days. There's even a missing person report on him!" Emily sighed sadly before trying her best to cheer herself up, she started shaking Lea by her shoulders "C'mon, get to work! Leave no stone unturned, you hear me, Lea?"

"You got it!"

"I'll go check the station area. You cover the school. And if Olivia is still in one of the classrooms, get her to start looking, too."

"Roger." Emily dashed off so that she could continue looking around.

_This reminds me of when Mom and Dad disappeared… Maybe... it's the same thing? What the heck is happening here?_

* * *

**Flashback one: The fire in her dream.**

**Flashback two: Lea and the two students who found the watch.**

**Flashback three: The garbage area at school.**

**Flashback four: A dog attached to a tree house.**

**Flashback five: Vin looking in a locker for something.**

**Flashback six: Vin and Ben got into an argument.**

**Flashback seven: Olivia**** and a female student with lavender hair.**

**Flashback two, verified and confirmed.**

**Flashback three, verified and confirmed.**

* * *

"4-D: Vin Threet…"Lea said to herself once she got to the hall where the lockers were. _This is the spot I saw in that flashback. He was looking in his locker..._ She noticed that the guy in the flashback was the same one in the hall with her at the moment, _maybe he can help!_

So she walked over and talked to him. "Excuse me!"

"What is it?"

"Do you know Vin Threet?"

"Vin's in my class, but he's been absent lately."

"Yesterday and today, right?"

"Yeah. He was his usual cool self before he stopped showing up…"

"When did you last see him?"

"It was after school… the day before yesterday. Something like 4:30. He was here, looking for something."

_I wonder what it was…Maybe his lost phone?_ "Do you know what Vin was looking for?"

"I wouldn't know anything about that." But he looked a little awkward and asked, "Can I go now?"

Lea smiled in approval, "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

The boy soon left her alone in the hall to figure out what she could.

_So I was right, Vin was looking for something here two days ago after class…_

Soon remembering about Olivia, she started walking in the direction on the classroom but got stopped Mr. Twombly.

"Hello Lea? Did you forget something?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then why don't you head on home? We teachers have an emergency meeting to get to."

"What emergency?"

"It's about that sophomore… Ashley's brother. You don't live far from them. Anything you should tell us?"

"No, sir, nothing… We're looking for her too."

"Ah, well… Regardless, it's time for you to go home, all right?"

"Uh… Yes, sir?"

"Ack—the meeting's about to start. I've gotta run."

Mr. Twombly speed-walked away to the meeting and Lea kept on walking, finally reaching the classroom doors but only to spot a note attached next to it.

"_**I have what fell out of the envelope." **__…Kori, eh? Hm… I don't know who it is... so I guess it's nothing worth investigating. _Lea thought before entering the classroom and spotting Olivia. _There's Olivia._

"Olivia, will you come help looking for—?" Lea asked but was cut off as soon as she stood in front of her.

"Ashley's brother, right? Just a sec—I'll be right there."

Lea looked around the classroom and saw that it looked exactly like in her flashback. A boy was sleeping on his desk and the mysterious looking student with the odd purple hair was staring at her intently.

"Hello?" Lea said while walking in her direction but the stranger stayed silent, stood up, brushed past her and left the room.

_Okay, rude! But who was that?_

"Olivia?"

"Can you wait a sec? I wanna look around too."

"Yeah thanks. So… who's that girl that sat behind you?"

"You mean Kori?"

_Kori? I didn't know there was a Kori in her class…_

The flashback suddenly appeared in her mind and she felt an odd feeling in her chest. _I kinda feel like… I know her…_

"Homework's finished! I'm ready to go!" Olivia chirped, happy that she done her homework but then her expression turned serious again. "I'll talk to the basketball team. I think Vin was a team member."

"I'll poke around inside the school, then."

"Sounds good to me. See ya."

Olivia got up from her desk, put away her homework in her bag and left in the direction of the basketball team, which is probably the gym.

**

* * *

**

Flashback seven, verified and confirmed.

* * *

Going back into the hall, Lea decided to check out the note again. _**"I have what fell out of the envelope." **__…Kori... This note wouldn't have been here if Kori weren't around. Very interesting. But it doesn't have anything to do with Vin. _Lea thought before leaving the school completely. She went into the yard and saw two girls chatting.

_Hey… These two girls are wearing red ribbons, so they must be sophomores like Vin! I should ask them some questions! _"Excuse me!"

"Yes?" The first girl asked.

"Did you need something?" The second girl asked.

"Do you know Vin Threet?"

"We're in the same class. I don't really talk to him much."

"But, like, everyone knows he's been missing…" The second one cut it, looking away.

"Yeah, I heard that, too. The police are looking for him." The first continued.

"And, like, Ben is looking all over for Vin and stuff…"

"Oh? So Ben is, too?" Lea asked a bit surprised since she hadn't seen him ever since Vin and Ashley bickered in the morning.

"Really? But I saw Ben this morning." The first said.

"But not for long, right? 'Cause he left right away to look for Vin." The second cut in again.

"Ooooh, yeah that's right."

"Where was Ben headed?" Lea asked when the two calmed down a bit.

"I don't know where he went." The first answered.

"Me neither." The second added.

"Is Ben looking for Vin, too?"

"See? I told you." The second said, "There's this rumour that, like, Ben was with Vin before he went missing."

"Then I bet Ben knows something!" The first then said.

"I know, right? They seemed like such good friends and all…"

"Whoa—too freaky!"

_All of this getting spun into rumours…_

"Um, we have to go now." The first said before the two of them started walking away.

"Yeah, thanks!" Lea yelled before they we're completely out of her vision.

_Looks like I'll have to ask Ben some questions when I see him…_

Soon Emily came running back and sighed, "Not a single lead. How about you, Lea?"

"Same here. Olivia said she'd check out the basketball team."

"Okay…"

"I'll keep looking outside."

"Yeah, one more time wouldn't hurt… Just do whatever you can and we'll call it a day, okay?"

"Okay. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Great. See you."

Ben and Lea both left the school grounds to look around the city some more. Lea decided to go look around for Ben to see if he knows anything about Vin. She started her search by going over to Vin's place. There, she found Ashley slouched over.

She looked up when Lea arrived.

"Hey Lea..."

"Hey... do the police know that he's missing?"

"Yeah. My parents called this morning. But I think it's too late. He's been gone too long."

Lea stayed silent, not really knowing how to console her friend. She sat down next to her and gave her a comforting hug.

"Lea... You gotta help me."

"...Yeah. I'm not gonna stop looking until we find him. I'll tell you if I find anything." Lea gave her a little squeeze before getting up and going on her way, only to have Ashley stop her.

"Lea..."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Sure."

_I really have to find Vin—for Ashley's sake._

She kept on walking, looking through alleyways along the way, but she came short and arrived at her place. She spotted Sox looking down at her from the window and waved at him. He mewed and laid down, taking a nap. She sweat dropped at her lazy cat before walking into the next street, where she eventually found herself at Chronos. The place where her and her friends go to relax. She looked around but didn't spot anyone or anything special. She kept on walking around and got to the park, but there was still no sign of Vin.

She was starting to get a little depressed, thinking that she won't be able to find Vin, when she finally found Ben at the station.

_There he is! I can finally ask him some questions!_

"Ben! Are you looking for Vin?"

"Y-yes, I am. But how did you know my name..?"

"W-what do you mean?" _Doesn't he remember me?_

"You must have heard it from Vin when we were talking about your present. Isn't that right?"

"Oh! ...uh right! Something like that!"

_Wait a minute... it's not that Ben doesn't remember our conversation. It's that our conversation never happened!_

"It's my entire fault that Vin went missing."

"Huh? Why so?"

"Well... Uh..."

_I should ask him about that flashback...__ Maybe they got into a fight and that's how he went missing... _"Did something happen between the two of you?"

"Well, we were saving up for your present but when it came time to buy it, Vin said he didn't have the money. I'm sure she must really have lost it somewhere, like he said but I didn't believe him and called him every name in the book."

All the while remembering what the flashback showed, Lea asked, "And you punched him right?"

"How did you know that?"

"Uh, well, lucky guess?"

"Well you happen to be right. That's exactly what happened. Then Vin got angry and we started fighting. But then Chrono's owner came outside and we took off in opposite directions. Now I can't through to his cell phone... and I have no idea where he is!"

"Do you remember where you guys had your argument?"

"It was in front of Chronos, at the bike rack."

_Chronos? I was just there! I should've looked more carefully!_

"Do you know when the argument happened?"

"It was the day before yesterday... Around 7 at night, I think."

"Thanks a lot Ben! This really helps!"

_If only he knew where Vin ran off too... Oh well! If the argument matches my flashback... then there's__ a chance I can fix this! Maybe with the Hollow Pen?_

**

* * *

**

Fl

**ashback six, verified and confirmed.**

* * *

Lea rushed over to the Chronos café, taking shortcuts along the way. She went over to the bike rack and examined the area.

_So this is where they had their argument... and over my missing present money... Maybe I can do something to help..._

But then the odd pen started glowing in her pocket and she took it out, only to realize she didn't know what to do to fix it. She returned the pen in her pocket even when it didn't stop glowing.

She thought over the possible place she went to search before going over to the library, the last place she checked. But even there she didn't find anything that could help her. She returned home, exhausted, before going up to her room and noticing that her gift from Ben and Vin was gone.

"Where did it go? Did you eat it Sox?"

But he only mewed and stared at her as if the answer should be obvious. She thought over the events that just happened and finally figured out why it was gone.

_I never got the gift because they lost the money to buy it—which is why I didn't meet Ben yet! So does that mean... that since the past got changed, so did the future? Can my pen... change the past? Maybe I can do something if it were glowing._

She grunted in frustration before lying down in her bed. Sox was still lying down on the spot where there should be the antique clock and she tried thinking of other things that could've changed. That's when the flashback with the odd student in the classroom returned to haunt her.

She sat up straight in shock. _Kori! She suddenly appeared in the class today! Maybe she knows something about this!_

She ran over to the school to see if Kori might still be hanging around but instead found Olivia.

"Hey Olivia! Did you find anything?"

"Nothing. I'll go look around the school grounds."

"Got it."

Olivia ran over to the garbage's direction while Lea went inside, looking down the hall and classroom, only finding Kori's note against the wall as help. _Her sudden appearance means that the past did change. I have to find her in case she knows something! Wait... her cell number's written on the note... I can call her!_

She took out her phone and pressed the needed numbers before planting it to her ear. It rang on the other line a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Kori's phone, Ethan speaking."

Lea froze. Were her ears deceiving her? Was the Ethan in her dream the one on the other line? She shook off the shock, getting to Kori was more important than knowing this guy.

"Ethan? This is—"

"Lea, right? I recognize your voice."

_My... voice? _Lea gulped, _I don't even know him and he claims he does! What is going on?_

"Uh... yeah. This is L-lea Kairos."

"What do you want with Kori?" She heard a door open on the other line before a feminine voice yelled at Ethan before it picked up, "This is Kori. What is it?"

"This is Lea. I have questions about your note on the bulletin board."

"Oh, that. Are you still at school?"

"Yeah, I'm in front of the bulletin board."

"I'll be there in a sec."

She heard Ethan's voice mumble something but the phone hung up before she could make out words. She sighed and leaned against the wall. _Ethan... is he... the same one in my dreams?_

After a couple more minutes of waiting, Kori arrived and leaned next to Lea against the wall.

"So what about the memo?"

"Whatever "fell out", was that the day before yesterday?"

"Yeah, at lunch."

_Just to be sure... _"Do you know who dropped it?"

"A guy. Maybe a senior. I don't know his name. He bumped into me and dropped it. He was racing through the hall at the time."

_That sounds like Vin... always rushing everywhere..._

"Was there money inside the envelope?"

"Yeah, money. I didn't know what to do. I could've given it to him but I don't know where he went. So I posted my contact info here."

_Yes. It's definitely Vin. Maybe if I __find a way to give it back... _"The envelope belongs to a friend of mine but he hasn't been to school lately..."

Kori looked a little confused at what she was getting at, "The guy everyone's been talking about? I heard he went missing or something."

"Yeah. Or something. Can I give him the envelope?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at Lea in suspicion, "Are you _really_ his friend?"

"I _really_ am."

_She doesn't trust me... I have to prove it to her..._

* * *

"What is it Lea? Did you find something?"

_Ashley's taking this hard..._"Not really..."

"...do you want to see something?"

"What is it?"

"It's a picture of Vin"

"Sure, let me take a look." Lea looked over the other girl's shoulder at the picture. Vin had Lea and Ben around his shoulders as Ashley was next to Lea looking angry at him.

_This is the proof I need!_

"...Do you mind if I borrow this picture for a little while?

"...Go ahead."

"Thanks! I promise I'll bring it back!"

"Sure..."

* * *

"I have a picture. That's Ben, Vin—the guy that went missing—, me, and his sister Ashley."

"Oh yeah, that's him alright. So he's Ashley's big brother, huh?"

"Mhmm, things are really hard for Ashley right now... So if I could get that envelope..."

"...Alright. I'll call if anything comes up. Can I reach you at this number?"

"Yeah, sure. Just give me a ring."

"So it'd be a good idea if she were to find this, right?"

Reluctantly Kori passed Lea the envelope.

"Thank you!"

Kori smirked and the shadow of her bangs suddenly covered her eyes, "The incident never happened. That is, it wouldn't have happened if I'd never showed up here."

Lea was surprised at the odd sentence, "What... do you mean?"

Kori stayed silent and turned away, walking away from her and leaving the building. She looked down at the envelope in her hands and tried thinking of a way to give it back to the Vin in the past.

**

* * *

**

Flashback five, verified and confirmed.

* * *

Her eyes snapped to her Hollow Pen before she took it out as the idea struck her. She rushed out of the building but stopped when the Pen started glowing when she reached the lockers. She thought about her flashback and knew she might have a chance to put the envelope in the locker he was looking inside.

"I know what to do now!" She said as her pen started glowing. She quickly drew a circle in the air in front of her where she hoped was the locker Vin was looking inside. She guessed right and slid the envelope inside the locker before closing the circle with a tap of the pen.

She looked quite proud of herself.

_Great! I did it! I returned the envelope! All should be back to normal!_

"Woa!" Lea suddenly felt an odd air wave before all went dark as her mind got decorated with Flashbacks. Once they cleared from her mind she found herself back into her room.

"How did I get back here? Wasn't I at school?"

She felt an odd wind moving her hair and hoped there wasn't a warp hole in her room. She looked over at the window and spotted her uncle's cat entering through the open window. "Mreow!"

She sighed and went over to close the window, "Hey Sox! If you're going to go outside, please close it—"

But her heart stopped when she spotted a familiar someone on the street waving up at her.

_I-it's Vin!_

"Yo Lea! You doing anything?"

Lea felt her cheeks flush a little at the odd request. "Huh? Are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine! Bored is all! I thought you and I could head over to Chronos—"

"What do you think you're doing?" Ashley's familiar voice yelled before she appeared down the road, "You haven't finished mom's shopping yet! Now get moving!"

"Get off my back. You're such a pain."

Ashley ran forward and tugged him by the ear, "What was that?"

"Okay, you win!" He flailed his arms, trying to get his sister to let him go, "Hey Lea! We'll hit Chronos another—OW! Don't pull my ear!"

Ashley started tugging her brother way before she waved at the dumbfounded Lea who watched the interaction with interest, "Hey Lea! I'll make sure you a better present from him next year, okay?"

Lea smiled and waved at them before they turned the corner. She leaned back into her room and finally closed the window.

_Chipper as always, I see. _But she couldn't fight the smile of her face. The idea of Vin being fine and didn't disappear made her forget all of her worries. _Thank goodness! So... what was the present he got me that Ashley was disappointed in?_

Lea looked over to the previous spot where she had placed the antique clock and found a small bag of cookies instead. _Cookies...? But Vin doesn't cook..._

Her heart warmed as she looked down at pink bag of cookies that looked just a smidge over cooked. She opened it and took a bite of one of the cookies... only to scrunch up her face in disgust at the bitter taste. But she looked over the bag and still couldn't help from smiling again, the thought of him doing that for her making her happy. She looked down at her breast pocket and took out her beautiful purple pen that changed one of the worst days to one of the best.

_This is amazing! This Hollow Pen really helped me change the past!__ Maybe it can help me find my parents too! I just have to collect all of the clues and get the right flashbacks... then I'll be sure to get them back!_

**

* * *

**

**Flashback one: The fire in her dream.**

**Flashback two: A dog attached to a tree house.**

**Flashback three: Vin, holding the money envelop, and Ben laughing at the Chronos parking lot.**

**Flashback four: Ashley showing a flour-covered Vin and Ben how to cook to the cookies.**

**Flashback five: Lea at her locker with the bag of cookies in her hand as Vin, Ben and Ashley hung around her.**

**Flashback four, verified and confirmed.**

**Flashback five, verified and confirmed.**__

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for my dear reviewers for reviewing!_

_Sorry **iLoVeCaRDcApToRsAkuRa** but you're guess is unfortunately wrong!_

_Thanks **Smart Aleckette **for your suggestion but even having a time rip's a good idea, it's not correcto._

_Thanks to 741852AuthorNicolaStarlaLili for a vague but nice review._

_Don't worry my dear readers, there is a reason why it's purple. Not just to entertain me while you throw ideas at me. It's really simple but the hints are not placed in the story so you can't really guess it right now._

_But since you guys reviewed... HERE ARE YOUR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE-FILLED BASKET OF BAKED GOODS! Even if you didn't get it right ;)_

_Also sorry it took forever. ...Cuz I kinda forgot about it. Heh heh?_

_BUT ANYWAY! Before you kill me for forgetting, I'm already working on the next chapter!_

_And besides! Aren't you just happy that there's a happy ending?_

_Smell you guys later! (Okay... EWWWW! I think someone farted! It wasn't me! ...okay, so it was me. But still. EWWWWW!)_

* * *

To be continued…


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